Maliwal urges Delhi court to reject Bibhav’s bail plea

AAP's Swati Maliwal opposes bail plea of Arvind Kejriwal's aide, alleging assault and victim shaming. Verdict reserved in Delhi High Court.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Wednesday opposed a bail plea filed by Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying that she was “brutally assaulted” by Kumar. She added that the chief minister protected his aide following the assault.

Swati Maliwal was present in court on Wednesday. (ANI)

As a bench of justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta posted the plea for orders on Friday, Maliwal, who was present in court, urged it to reject the petition saying that she was subjected to victim shaming and was painted as a liar by AAP ministers in press conferences. Maliwal said that not only her and her family’s lives were in danger, but she was also trolled on social media.

“I was brutally assaulted by the PA. It was horrible. Later, the chief minister himself came on the streets and protected the PA. Delhi ministers have done conferences where they have painted a picture in the entire media that I am some kind of a liar,” Maliwal submitted in court.

Bibhav had approached the high court on June 11 claiming that the case against him was one of abuse of criminal conspiracy. In his petition filed through advocates Rajat Bhardwaj and Mohd Irshad, Kumar said that the accusations against him were not only unbelievable and false, but there was also no scope for him to tamper with evidence as the Delhi police had already collected it.

The court reserved verdict two days after a bench of justice Neena Bansal Krishna reserved orders in Kumar’s petition challenging his arrest and remand in the same case.

Kumar was apprehended by the Delhi Police on May 18, and was formally arrested later. The following day, he was remanded in police custody for five days and later sent to judicial custody. On May 20, the court rejected Kumar’s bail and on May 21, he was remanded in police custody for three more days.

The case pertains to allegations made by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who claimed that Kumar assaulted her at the chief minister’s residence on May 13. Based on Maliwal’s complaint, police filed an FIR on charges of attempted culpable homicide, assault with intent to disrobe, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, and insulting the modesty of a woman.